Adventures in VHS – The story so far…

So, one of the things I intended to do with this site in 2012 was use it as a blogging platform for Adventures in VHS. I figured I could talk about how the book was going, discuss the issues I’d come up against and maybe use it to feed into this ‘transmedia storytelling’ I’d heard so much about.

The thing is, when the idea came up for a podcast, things changed. Securing interviews, doing the research, editing clips and creating enough content to fill a 90-minute one-man show is pretty time consuming. In fact, it all eats pretty heavily into what little time I have to actually sit down and write the book, so in the past I’d thought a blog would be a waste of my time.

But I’m starting to think I might have been wrong…

Not a day passes where I don’t have an idea, a thought, an opinion or some vague recollection of either the video tapes I’ve been watching for the project or my long-lost VHS renting past. So I’ve decided maybe I should be using the site to post the odd update. It might be of interest to those keeping up with the whole thing and, if nothing else, it’s helpful for me to keep an occasional diary of where I’m at. So first off, let’s have a bit of an update…

Where’s the book up to?

The book itself is about half-way written, but this is only in first-draft format. So, as I jokingly said to someone recently who asked, at this point, I basically have half a badly-written book. As far as deadlines are concerned, I’m on track, but I anticipate the real hard work will start when it comes down to shaping the various chapters of the book into second, third, fourth and maybe even fifth drafts before I get them finalised and proofed.

Fifth drafts? Have you lost your mind?

Look, I’m not planning to go all Axl Rose and obsessively revise things into oblivion, but as a professional writer I’m a firm believer in the editing process. I want to make sure I’m happy with every inch of whatever it is I end up putting out into the world, after all, the purpose of this project was always meant to be a personal thing. I’m not looking to become someone who writes books for a living (though I admit I have tonnes of ideas), but I want to have done it at least once – and know that I did it to the best of my ability.

How will it be published?

Well, I have a few specific publishers I think would be the perfect home for Adventures in VHS and I’ll approach them in due course when I feel I have something exciting to show them. But while this kind of a partner would be a dream come true, I’ve also had to consider what my next move might be if this doesn’t pan out (or if I encounter certain licensing issues). I’ve looked at all the different self-publishing and e-book routes, all of which seem feasible, but to be honest this seems like stuff that can wait for now.

What about the podcast?

My intention was always to do the Adventures in VHS podcast for a year, so I can see it going on for probably 10 – 12 episodes in total. The idea of the show was to support the book and provide extra content for those interested in it, which it has absolutely done. In fact, it’s been way more popular than I could have possibly imagined (with well over 10,000 downloads in just six shows), so I’m not ruling out the possibility it will return. But I realise there will come a time when I just need to focus on the writing, so it could take a hiatus some time in spring 2013.

What are you going to do once the project is over?

Buy more tapes and start planning Adventures in VHS II of course!

So there you have it. A few people have asked where the book is up to, so I hope that answers the question a little bit for now. All that remains for me to say is thank you to everyone who has supported the show so far and I hope you’ll stick with me as I continue to get the book done.